We’re less than a week away from the first day of Fall, but it’ll always be summer in Drue De Milo’s heart. The singer takes one last ride out in the waters of Montauk in “Drowning In Paradise,” her brand new sing and video (premiering here at HollywoodLife.) In the video for the ethereal, Sunkissed pop tune, Drue finds a slice of heaven in between the waves, on the sandy shores, and in the arms of surfer Leif Engstrom. “Bonnie and Clyde in the ocean / We’re going down together,” she seductively sings, delivering a perfect send-off to summer flings everywhere.
Drue says that there’s one line in the song that stands out more than the others. “When I wrote “tell me about danger,” I thought I meant the danger and risk of getting in – be that into the water, or in love – but making the video I found the most dangerous thing is to sit on the sidelines,” Drue tells HollywoodLife, “[and] ignore your intuition, and risk missing out on why we’re here in the first place.” She adds, “The waves, desire, the rocks, loss, the wind – nature around us and within us is wild and relentlessly powerful. It doesn’t ask permission, and it doesn’t apologize.”
While working with the elements – the waves, the desire, the rocks, and the wind – provided an element of danger to the shoot, Drue tells HollywoodLife that the real “force of nature” was her costar. “Leif was enjoyably challenging to work with and totally right for this part. He’s a force of nature in and out of the water, and directing him expanded my practical skills, and strengthened my vision for wanting to personify the push and pull between the sea and the earth.”
Though, the real star of “Drowning In Paradise” is the location. Shot out in Montauk, Drue tells HollywoodLife that the oceanside town “really is that beautiful. I was so lucky to shoot with locals who knew the ins and outs and welcomed me into their home. The majesty of those beaches, and sunsets, that never gets old, but there’s also a peaceful intensity and undercurrent of danger that absolutely feels like the end of the world; it was the perfect place to immortalize creation.”
Born in Manhattan and raised in Scarsdale, Drue grew up with a mind for the performing arts. She was involved in dance at an early age, honing her craft at the Ballet Academy East. Her first vocal coach was an opera singer who taught her singing as a physical experience. After attending the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Drue made a splash with her single, “I Wanna Be Ur Girlfriend,” and followed it with “Psycho Heart.” However, it took the act of surfing to really awaken her creativity.
“Admittedly, my writing was as at a standstill,” said Drue. “But as soon as I got in the water, everything changed…In the ocean, even when we’re in it together, we are also in it alone. Love is kinda like that, life is like that.”
“Drowning In Paradise” hits all streaming platforms on 9/18.